The Colorado Avalanche have been of the better home teams in the NHL over the past few seasons. That hasn't been the case when they've hosted the Nashville Predators.

Colorado looks to sweep a home-and-home series from Nashville when the teams meet at the Pepsi Center on Saturday night.

Since 2002-03, the Avs have gone 99-52-14 with 14 ties at home, including a 12-3-0 mark this season. But against Nashville during that span, they've won just twice in eight meetings in Denver.

The Predators won 4-2 on April 7 in their most recent trip to the Pepsi Center.

Colorado (17-13-1), though, did win 2-1 in Nashville on Thursday night in the opener of this home-and-home set. The game was scoreless heading into the third period before Ryan Smyth scored his 10th goal of the season at the 4:58 mark, and Ian Laperriere gave the Avs some breathing room when he scored with 3:15 remaining.

Smyth's goal ended a five-period scoreless streak for the Avs against the Predators (14-13-2) and goalie Chris Mason this season.

The win was the Avs' third in four games, while Nashville lost for the fourth time in five contests.

"I thought it was a very complete game," Colorado coach Joel Quenneville said. "It was a heck of a battle. ... I know there were a lot of scoring chances, but every time the puck was challenged. Every scrum was intense. The first goal was a big one."

Avs goalie Peter Budaj was on the verge of recording his first shutout of the season, but Alexander Radulov scored with 21 seconds left. The Predators almost tied the game in the closing seconds, but J.P Dumont missed Jason Arnott with a pass as he stood in front of the net.

"It would have been nice to get a shutout, but the most important thing is that Nashville did not score a second goal," Budaj said. "I think they had a big chance right there at the end."

The Predators are struggling on offense, having scored just five times during their last four defeats.

"The puck just isn't bouncing our way right now," left wing Vernon Fiddler said. "We have to keep moving forward and keep doing the things we're doing and the puck will start finding the back of the net."

Nashville thought it found the back of the net in the second period Thursday, but Radek Bonk's goal between Budaj's pads was waved off because the play had been whistled dead. A video review confirmed the call.

"I'm going to have to get clarification on that," Predators coach Barry Trotz said. "They said they were in the process of blowing the whistle, and I was told there was a push of the goalie. There are a number of different scenarios, but if you really look at it, the puck goes in there very quickly.

"Radek really had nothing to do with the goal other than putting the puck on the net. But they said they blew the whistle. I'm still not understanding the rule."

Veteran center Scott Nichol will return to the Predators lineup Saturday after serving a five-game suspension for delivering a blow to the head of Montreal's Patrice Brisebois on Dec. 1.

Side notes:

Joe Sakic is on the injured list because of a groin injury and has missed the past seven games. Tyler Arnason, who hasn't scored in the past 15 games he has played, has been bothered by a wrist injury and was held out of a 2-1 win Thursday night at Nashville. With Sakic and Arnason out, Jaroslav Hlinka is getting an opportunity to play his natural position.

Quenneville loved the option of moving Hlinka back to center.

"He had a real good game," Quenneville said. "He made two real nice plays on the goals and I liked his presence around the rink and you noticed his speed and his patience with the puck.

"We have a couple center men out and we were going to try some things. He's played a couple games and shifts at center during games and it was nice to see him do a good job."

Sidelight: Avalanche defensemen have accounted for 29 points in the past 12 games but have gone without a point in the past two games.

Notes: Colorado beat the Predators 2-1 on Thursday night in Nashville. . . . Smyth has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in the past seven games. . . . The line of Stastny, Smyth and Hejduk has combined for 31 points in the past seven games. . . . The Avalanche is 12-3-0 at home this season. . . . Brunette has played in 402 consecutive games, the second-longest active streak in the NHL. . . . Colorado has allowed only six power- play goals in the past 13 games. . . . The Avalanche is 12-1 when scoring the first goal of the game. . . . In the past five games, the Nashville power play has gone 1-for-27.

DENVER (AP) -The Colorado Avalanche had a slow start and never really cranked up the offense.

In the end, none of it really mattered.

Paul Stastny and Marek Svatos scored second-period goals to lead the Avalanche to a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Saturday night.

Stastny has 29 points (11 goals and 18 assists) in Colorado's 16 home games. Justin Leopold added his first goal of the season for the Avalanche, 4-1 in their last five games.

"I think we played on our heels a little bit," Stastny said. "They came out hard in the first, and (goalie Peter) Budaj played well and we weathered that storm."

The Avalanche were outshot 17-5 in the first period and 32-16 overall - a season-low output for Colorado.

"We weren't at the pace that was needed, and we gradually got into it," Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville said. "Scoring certainly helped."

Budaj kept his team in the game by making 31 saves.

"They came out really hard, especially in the first period," Budaj said. "They took a lot of shots, even from bad angles, and created a lot of chances. Thank God I was able to make saves."

Martin Gelinas scored the lone goal for Nashville, which lost its third straight. The Predators were beaten at home by Colorado 2-1 on Thursday.

Chris Mason made 13 saves for Nashville.

Nashville, which owns the NHL's second worst power play, went 0-for-2. Colorado, fifth from the bottom, was 0-for-4.

The Predators failed to convert on their two power plays in a scoreless first period. Jordin Tootoo had Nashville's best scoring chance, a short-handed breakaway, but his shot from the slot was easily smothered by Budaj.

"That's the third game in a row where we did all the right things, played at a high energy level and walk away with a loss," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We are ringing posts, missing wide-open nets and have nothing to show for it."

Stastny put the Avalanche ahead 1-0 with a one timer from the slot that got past Mason's glove at 4:06 of the second period. Stastny's 14th of the season was set up by Ryan Smyth's pass from the boards and came on Colorado's sixth shot of the game.

"It was a nice play by Smitty to look me off the first time I got open, and faked the slapper," Stastny said. "Then, he threw it across to me, and it froze Mason a little bit, so I just put it into the top of the net."

Svatos made it 2-0 at 14:50 of the period, on a rebound of his own shot for his 10th goal.

Gelinas sent a backhander under Budaj's glove at 15:43 of the second period for Nashville to make it 2-1. Budaj had stopped shots by Marek Zidlicky and Scott Nichol.

"We're squeezing our sticks too tightly," Tootoo said. "Sooner or later the goals have to come. Our shots have to start going into the net."

The Avalanche nearly scored early in the third period when Mason deflected a shot by Cody McCormick off the right post.

Leopold got the puck past Mason with a slap shot from the right circle at 10:53 to give Colorado a 3-1 lead. The Avalanche had a 6-on-5 skating advantage due to a delayed penalty on Nichol.

Notes: Nashville's RW Martin (neck strain) will rejoin the team in Minnesota on Monday. ... The start of the game was delayed briefly by a malfunctioning goal light. ... Avalanche captain Joe Sakic missed his eighth straight game due to a groin injury. ... D John-Michael Liles limped off the ice late in the first period, but returned in the second.

Hoo boy, what the hell is going on with the Avalanche? They're running consistent offensive lines, solid defensive pairings, and they're getting extremely consistent goaltending. They've won five of their last six games including two of the last three on the road. It's like some other team has been out on the ice in those horrendous new uniforms.

Tonight Colorado faces the Los Angeles Ducks Of Anaheim or something like that in the second of a two-game road swing that began on Monday with a win over the Kings. The Los Angeles Kings of Los Angeles.

The Ducks have struggled most of the season, but everyone seems to believe that they'll be Cup-winners again just because some old guy named Niedermayer got off his ass and realized the season started like two months ago and he forgot to show up for it. How would you like to be Wyatt Smith, playing as hard as you possibly can for months and still getting sent down to the minors while a guy like Scott Niedermayer can sit around for months doing nothing and then, when he decides he's ready, his top-level NHL team just lets him right back into the roster. I'm not trying to equate the skill levels of Smith and Niedermayer or anything, but you see my point. It rules to be Scott and sucks to be Wyatt.

At any rate, the Ducks haven't done a lot of goal-scoring this year. They've managed just 86, compared to Colorado's 101 in two fewer games. How a d-man (even a skilled one) is going to really turn that around is beyond my knowledge. The Avs aren't going to make it any easier for Anaheim to score, either, since Peter Budaj will be in net again for his fourth straight start, and he's been like a brick wall lately.

While it's great that Boots is getting some consistent starts for once (and excelling like we all knew he would), you just know that if he loses tonight it will be Jose Theodore in goal on Friday against the Rangers. Even though Budaj has been better all-around all season, and even though it's two full days between games, and even though it defies all logic whatsoever, you just know that one loss will be enough for Coach Q to bench Budaj like his name was Scott Parker.

Let me explain why this is stupid in just one word: pressure. Budaj must know that if he loses a game, even if it's not really his fault (I'm looking at you, Hannan), he won't play again for a while. Boots handles pressure very well in general, but after a while it will nag at him and cause him to over-play. When he does that, he'll start giving up Theodore-esque softies.

Coach Q, if you're reading this, Peter Budaj is the starting goaltender of the Colorado Avalanche. He should know he will play every game, win or lose, with the exception of scheduled rest days. Not one-and-done, not play-until-you-lose. Coach Q, you're ruining one of the team's best young assets, and burning the fan's asses, too. Knock it off already.

.

Jordan Leopold is hurt — again.

Continuing what has been an unbelievable streak of bad medical luck, the Avalanche defenseman will not play Wednesday night against the Anaheim Ducks because of a cut on his thigh.

The injury, which happened last week in practice, was aggravated during Monday's game against the Los Angeles Kings.

Leopold flew back to Denver today to be further examined by Avs medical staff. Team director of communications Jean Martineau said the cut will be stitched up and that Leopold probably would need at least a few days of healing time before skating.

Last week after he returned from missing several weeks with a fractured wrist, Leopold was cut from a teammate's skate blade. It was not considered serious enough to keep him out at the time, but Avs coach Joel Quenneville said after today's practice in Anaheim that Leopold aggravated the cut against the Kings. Quenneville did not say how long Leopold would be sidelined, but indicated it shouldn't be long.

Leopold missed most of last season with hernia and wrist injuries, then suffered another fractured wrist early this season.

The Avs will use six defensemen against the Ducks, and will insert rookie forward Cody McLeod into the lineup, for his first NHL game.

Neither Joe Sakic and Ryan Smyth practiced Thursday, and it was revealed Sakic, in fact, has not skated since Saturday, his groin injury feeling sorer. Smyth, meanwhile, was awaiting word on further tests on a neck injury that apparently was so severe he couldn't move his head in any direction without sharp pain. Neither will play tonight against the New York Rangers. Instead, the Avs will ice a lineup with five rookies who started the season at Lake Erie of the American Hockey League... Defenceman Jordan Leopold did not practice because of a thigh laceration. But Quenneville said he should be back soon. To add forward depth, the Avs called up rookie David Jones from Lake Erie...Brad Richardson continues to be out day-to-day with a shoulder injury. Defenceman Jordan Leopold (thigh laceration) is recovering well, the team said, but is unlikely to play tonight against the Rangers. - Denver Post

The Avalanche will be short-handed again at the Pepsi Center on Friday night as they look for their seventh straight win over the New York Rangers.

Colorado captain Joe Sakic will miss his 11th straight game with a groin injury, and doesn't seem close to returning.

"Joe hasn't skated. He tried it there Saturday and he knew it wasn't right," Avs coach Joel Quenneville told the team's official Web site. "That was his test and kind of gave himself a baseline to figure out where he's at, but he's not ready to get on the ice yet."

Sakic, who has spent his entire 19-year career with the Colorado franchise, had missed just one game in three seasons before this injury. The Avalanche (19-13-2) also played their last game, a 2-1 overtime loss to Anaheim on Wednesday, without left wing Ryan Smyth and defenseman Jordan Leopold

Neither is expected to suit up Friday.

Leopold had missed 21 games with an injured wrist, but after returning for just three games, is now suffering from a cut on his leg. Smyth, tied with Milan Hejduk for second on the team with 28 points, is day-to-day with a stiff neck.

Before the injury, the line of Smyth, Hejduk and Paul Stastny had combined for 16 goals and 22 assists in nine games. Stastny leads Colorado with 15 goals and 26 assists this season.

The Avs had won three in a row and five of six before losing to Anaheim. Goalie Peter Budaj will likely earn his fifth straight start for Colorado on Friday, having allowed two or fewer goals in each of the past four games.

"He looks quick. He's anticipating well and his rebound control has been very efficient," Quenneville said. "He's following the puck, tracking it very well."

Budaj has never faced the Rangers.

Colorado, which is opening a four-game homestand, has won three in a row there to improve to 13-3-0 in Denver this season.

The Avs have played the Rangers (17-14-3) just once since 2003, winning 2-1 at Madison Square Garden in December 2005. Colorado has won six straight against New York since January 2002.

The Rangers lost 6-3 to Minnesota on Thursday, allowing five goals to Marian Gaborik and falling to 2-5-1 in their last eight. After making 18 saves to shut out Pittsburgh Tuesday, New York's Henrik Lundqvist again faced 18 shots, but was pulled in the third period after allowing six goals.

In his last six games, Lundqvist has allowed at least four goals in four losses but also recorded two shutout wins. Backup Stephen Valiquette has seen action in four of the past seven games.

"When you let in (that many) goals it's never fun, it's always tough," Lundqvist said. "You have to look at the goals, too. Is it me? Is it just a great performance by their guys? Then you just move on. Sometimes the key is not to think too much."

The Rangers have played back-to-back games just four times this season, going 1-3-0.

Rangers center Chris Drury played his first four seasons in Colorado, but hasn't visited Denver as an opponent in more than two years. He's scored a goal in each of his last two visits, both while playing for Buffalo.

LW Sean Avery won't play tonight at Colorado and is unlikely to make his return from Nov. 29 arthroscopic wrist surgery until Dec. 26 vs. Carolina... D Marek Malik was scratched for the fifth time in six games. LW Marcel Hossa sat out his second straight, still not back to full strength after a bout with the flu. - New York Daily News

Hey Bronx.... Whats up with the lack of Avs fans here? I remember the last few years there being much more then 1 poster on the Avs thread. What happened to that chick that used to hate Forsberg after he left?

It's shocking to me that the most represented hockey team on this site is the Flyers and then the Pens.
Sup wit dat?

But the Avs are persevering without their stars. Sakic missed his 11th game since injuring his groin Nov. 30 at San Jose, and Smyth sat out his second straight game because of stiffness in his neck.

The tandem has combined for 18 goals and 32 assists this season. When asked how the team could make up for missing Smyth and Sakic, defenseman Scott Hannan smiled and said, "You don't."

Hejduk and Paul Stastny are certainly trying to fill their shoes. Hejduk scored both his second-period goals on assists from Stastny.

"It was time for someone else to pick it up. They did a nice job," Wolski said.

Wolski just happened to be in the proper place at the proper time on the game winner. Jeff Finger gathered up a loose puck in the Rangers' zone and fired a shot at Henrik Lundqvist, who had the puck trickle through his pads. Wolski simply knocked it in for his 12th goal of the season.

"I was changing and trying to get into the play," Finger explained. "The puck happened to bounce out to me. I had so much time - almost too much time. I hit the shot as hard as I could."

Rangers coach Tom Renney chalked up the overtime goal to a slow line change.

"They jumped off their bench awfully early on their line change, and we weren't astute enough to do the same thing," Renney said. "We were too late to pick anybody up."

Marek Svatos tied it at 3 midway through the third period. Svatos got the puck in front of the net, fanned on his first attempt, composed himself and knocked it in for his 11th goal of the season.

Brendan Shanahan, Michal Rozsival and Marc Staal scored for the Rangers, coming off a 6-3 loss in Minnesota the night before in which Wild forward Marian Gaborik scored five goals.

Peter Budaj stopped 20 shots, including a sliding save to thwart a shot from Fedor Tyutin with 4 minutes remaining. Budaj said that while the Rangers didn't have a large quantity of shots, they were quality chances.

"It was tougher than it looked," Budaj said. "They have great players everywhere."

Scott Gomez and Martin Straka each had two assists for the Rangers.

The Avalanche took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period, but the Rangers answered with goals from Rozsival and Staal, which came 1:05 apart.

Jaromir Jagr had an assist on Rozsival's goal, giving the Czech star 926 for his career. He's tied with Stan Mikita for 15th place on the career assists list.

Shanahan scored his 639th goal in the first period, leaving him one behind Dave Andreychuk for 11th place on the career list. Shanahan leads all active goal scorers.

Chris Drury was credited with an assist on Shanahan's goal, giving him five points in nine career games against his former team. Drury spent his first four seasons playing for the Avalanche.

Colorado missed multiple opportunities to score in the opening period, including a breakaway by Svatos on a 4-minute power play that came courtesy of a high-sticking call on Rozsival.

New York also withstood a 5-on-3 power play by Colorado late in the first period. Lundqvist turned back a point-blank shot by Stastny, which was the Avalanche's best scoring chance during the two-man advantage that lasted 1:43.

"We were lucky to have the lead after the first," Lundqvist said. "They are a good team, no question - a lot of speed. It felt like they were flying. We worked really hard, but it felt like they were a little better than us tonight."

And that was without Sakic and Smyth.

Notes: Colorado assistant coach Tony Granato was drafted by the Rangers in 1982 and scored 36 goals in his rookie season, which is still a team record. ... D Jordan Leopold missed his second straight game due to a laceration on his right leg. ... New York LW Marcel Hossa missed his fourth game because of the flu. ... Colorado is 14-3-0 at the Pepsi Center this season. ... Hejduk had his fourth multigoal game of the season.

Hey Bronx.... Whats up with the lack of Avs fans here? I remember the last few years there being much more then 1 poster on the Avs thread. What happened to that chick that used to hate Forsberg after he left?

It's shocking to me that the most represented hockey team on this site is the Flyers and then the Pens.
Sup wit dat?

Iam not sure where that chick went she did have a son in iraq so iam really hoping nothing bad happened i have PMd her with no response.When football ends we should see some more folks around here (iam guessing)

Smyth has a strained neck, the Avs said, and it is hoped the star left winger will be out of the lineup for only a few more days.

That is the hope, anyway.

But the Avs said tests on Smyth's neck did not indicate anything more serious than a strain. He will not play tonight against the New York Rangers, nor will captain Joe Sakic and four other regulars because of injury. Sakic will miss his 11th straight game because of a groin injury, and he did not skate today.

Rookie David Jones, recalled from Lake Erie of the American Hockey League Thursday, will play his first NHL game against the Rangers.

Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posts his Avs Mailbag every Thursday during the 2007-08 NHL season on DenverPost.com.

To drop an Avalanche- or NHL-related question into the Avs Mailbag click here or visit DenverPost.com's Avalanche Page.

Adrian - All I keep hearing is praise about Jeff Finger. Yet every time I see him play, all I notice is how slow he is. He gets beat night after night one-on-one - and now, as I speak, he just tried to juke out two Blue Jacket players and instead he gives it away, and the Blue Jackets capitalize. I've seen this happen a lot; even if the opposing team doesn't always score, it gets chances. Am I the only one who thinks Finger is a liability on D?
-- Rob, Texas

Sorry, Rob, gotta disagree with you on this one. Finger was a plus-10 entering Wednesday night's game in Anaheim, second best on the team. He's one of the few Avs D-men who really can and will hit hard. His speed might not be the fastest in the league, but I've liked what I've seen so far, and I know Joel Quenneville does, too.

Incidentally, Finger can be an unrestricted free agent next year, and don't think for a second many teams haven't noticed him and might not offer him a very nice contract come July.

Adrian - I'm sure you have been hearing the rumors as I have that, with the emergence of Mike Smith and Dallas, the Stars might consider trading Marty Turco. Do you think the Avs would try to make a deal for him? And do you think Turco would waive his no-trade clause to come here?
-- Bryan, Seattle

Bryan - No, I don't see Turco coming here. The Avs would have to, most likely, get Dallas to take Jose Theodore as part of that deal, and I don't see that happening.

I would be wary, if I were Dallas, of trading Turco and just relying on Smith. Granted,
Colorado defenseman Jeff Finger entered Wednesday night's game at Anaheim with seven points and a plus-10. (Post file)
Turco has a poor playoff history, but he's always gotten the Stars to the playoffs, at least. Smith is still unproven in many ways.

TSN of Canada had Turco possibly going to Tampa Bay for Martin St. Louis - and if I were Dallas, I'd take that deal in a second. So, we'll see, but it does look likely that the Stars are trying to get something for Marty.

Hey, Adrian. Was it my imagination, or did the Avalanche wear its home jerseys in Columbus the night it blew the 3-1 lead?
-- Ed Clark, Salida

Ed - Yes they were. I don't have the exact reason as to why, but they were. It could have been for any number of reasons. Sometimes teams have equipment problems for one reason or another. There was a game in Nashville last season when the Avs forgot their uniforms and had to have them flown in at the last second. They took the ice for warmups in practice jerseys, and almost had to play the game in them.

Regarding that question you answered on why younger players are having so much success in the NHL early on, would you agree that it's also the new rules? With less clutching and grabbing, it is less of a physical hurdle for rookies to overcome.
-- Howard Chan, London

Yes, Howard, I'd agree with that. Although, it's becoming harder to score again, with teams basically telling players to be five goalies in front of the their regular goalie
Submit a Question

* Speak up by sending your Avalanche- or NHL-related question to Adrian Dater

now, and block as many shots as they can and collapse around the goalie. But there's no question that there is more freedom to skate with the puck now, without constant hooks from behind or tugs on the jersey.

Adrian - Everyone is talking about Scott Hannan's minus-14, but what about Joe Sakic's minus-6 (second worst on the team)?! Now I know Joe always changes gears and turns up the heat in January and through the end of the year, but is this going to be the first year where he does not lead the Avs in points (take away one or two to Mr. Forsberg)? Is this the beginning of a decline in yearly production (less than a point per game)? Thanks!
-- Doris C. Doria, Arvada

Doris - Father Time gets us all at some point. So, yeah, this could be the beginning of the end for Super Joe. But let's hold our hearses just a bit here.

He still was close to a point a game when he got hurt. Not bad for a 38-year-old. A lot of players had bad plus-minuses on the team, until a recent winning streak.

I think Sakic's going to be fine in the second half, provided he's healthy. He's always been a great second-half player, and let's not forget how good he was last year. So, keep the faith, hun.

How about the play of Kyle Cumiskey? The little guy lacks size, but he plays great D with his speed and positioning. That chase-down of Paul Kariya on Sunday was outstanding. What kind of future does he hold in Denver?
-- Mark, Florida

That was actually Jamal Mayers that he tracked down, something I wrote about in a story this week. He's fast all right, and it's a tremendous asset in this new league.

I really think he's got a good future with the Avs, but he must continue to work on his defensive game. He is small, so he's going to have to really use his speed to steal pucks and break up plays with poke checks and things like that.

Adrian, thanks for the mailbag; it's great to get an inside look on the Avs! I'm wondering, who is the "third" goalie in case both goalies go down during a game? I think Eric Messier used to be the go-to guy back when we had Patrick Roy and Craig Billington, but who is it now? Cheers!
-- Suzan "Suz" Mabeate, Denver

Suzan - I asked around a bit, and the consensus seems to be that either Brett Clark or Karlis Skrastins could do the job in a pinch. Clark and Skrastins block a lot of shots, so it wouldn't be too foreign to them, trying to do that with pads on.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Avalanche again will be at the mercy of a doctor's prognosis today, when the condition of one of Ryan Smyth's ankles will be determined. Early indications, however, are not good.

Smyth needed help from two Avalanche teammates to get from his locker stall to another room following Monday night's 4-3 shootout loss to Phoenix.

X-ray results won't be known until today, but Smyth's availability for Wednesday's rematch with Phoenix seems highly doubtful. Smyth took a couple of big hits in the game, but how he hurt himself was not known. Smyth was not available for comment.

Quenneville hot.

Although he would not comment on the officiating after the game — and risk a fine from the NHL — Avs coach Joel Quenneville was not happy with some of the work of referees Don Koharski and Tom Kowal.

Quenneville stood on the bench and screamed after an interference call on Avs defender Scott Hannan in the third period, and waved his hand in disgust over a non-call with eight seconds left, after Cody McCormick clearly had his skate hooked out from under him, costing the Avs a power play in overtime.

Bargain of the year.

Maybe the best front-office move of 2007 in the NHL was Phoenix picking up goalie Ilya Bryzgalov on waivers from Anaheim. The Russian has helped the Coyotes get to the .500 mark after a slow start.

The Phoenix Coyotes are building mainly with young players as they attempt to rebound from four straight losing seasons. Making a few more trades like the one that brought them Radim Vrbata would speed up that process.

Vrbata and the Coyotes look to match a season high with their fifth straight road victory Wednesday night when they complete a home-and-home series against the Colorado Avalanche.

Phoenix (18-18-1) made what appeared to be a minor deal when it acquired Vrbata from Chicago on Aug. 11 in exchange for center Kevyn Adams. Vrbata had 14 goals in 77 games in his only full season with the Blackhawks, and never scored more than 18 in a season since doing it as a rookie with Colorado in 2001-02.

Vrbata, though, is on pace for the best season of his career, ranking first on the team with 16 goals and second with 28 points.

Adams, meanwhile, had one point in 15 games for Chicago before he was lost for the season with a knee injury.

Vrbata scored twice on the power play in regulation and netted the deciding goal in the shootout, lifting the Coyotes to a 4-3 victory Monday over the Avalanche (21-15-3).

"In recent games, I felt like the puck was not bouncing my way," Vrbata said. "It seemed to find my stick. As a player, you don't try and change anything. You just hope you're in the right place."

Steven Reinprecht also scored in regulation as Phoenix salvaged the final game of a four-game homestand after losing the first three.

"We have many good days ahead of us," Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky said. "There is a long road ahead of us, but there really is a light at the end of the tunnel."

Phoenix scored twice on the power play Monday after it was 2-for-21 with the man advantage in the previous five games.

"We really worked hard on the power play," Gretzky said. "We've tried to simplify it, and make sure everyone understands the responsibilities and the work ethic. Just as important is your skill level."

The Coyotes have won two of their last four meetings against the Avalanche - both in shootouts - after losing seven straight in the series.

Colorado had been 9-0-0 with one tie in its last 10 home games against Phoenix before that run ended with a 5-4 shootout loss on Jan. 26. The Avalanche haven't lost in regulation in 17 straight matchups with the Coyotes, dating to a 5-3 loss in Phoenix on March 30, 2002.

Monday's loss was the third straight for the Avalanche, matching a season high. They haven't dropped four in a row since Nov. 7-15, 2006.

"We'll take the point," coach Joel Quenneville said. "We're coming off two disappointing losses at home and down 3-1 in this one, getting the one point isn't too bad."

Although they have lost two straight at the Pepsi Center, the Avalanche still own one of the league's best home records (15-5-0).

Paul Stastny, tied for the team lead with 15 goals and Colorado's leader with 44 points, has no goals in his last six games. He has four goals and three assists in seven career games against the Coyotes.

Peter Budaj, who made 23 saves in regulation and overtime on Monday, is 6-0-2 with a 2.59 goals-against average in eight games against Phoenix.

no robby is on the tail end of his career i would love his leadership i just wouldn't fancy watching him ride into the sunset and lose potential talent for nothing, throw that bernier kid in and will talk

no robby is on the tail end of his career i would love his leadership i just wouldn't fancy watching him ride into the sunset and lose potential talent for nothing, throw that bernier kid in and will talk

Bernier is untouchable, however take your pick of Aubin, Cloutier, Labarbera...and we'll call it a deal.

Their losing streak is over, but the Colorado Avalanche are still trying to break out of an offensive slump.

The Avalanche look to generate more scoring when they face the Detroit Red Wings, the NHL's best defensive team, at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday.

Colorado (22-16-3) ended a four-game skid Saturday, beating the New York Islanders 2-1 in overtime. The Avs, though, failed to score more than twice for the fourth time in five games and fell to 0-for-16 on the power play over their last five contests.

"It's a tough stretch without scoring," coach Joel Quenneville said. "Finishing has been the tough part."

Breaking out of that funk against the league-leading Red Wings (32-8-3) won't be easy. Detroit's 2.02 goals allowed per game is the lowest mark in the NHL, and the Wings rank among the league leaders in penalty killing with an 86.4 percentage.

The Red Wings have killed off 25 straight power-play chances over seven games.

The Avalanche's offensive woes are due in part to the absence of captain Joe Sakic, who had hernia surgery and hasn't played since Nov. 30, and forward Ryan Smyth, who hasn't played since Monday because of a fractured right ankle.

In addition, Paul Stastny, who leads the team with 44 points, has just three assists in his last eight games. Linemate Milan Hejduk hasn't recorded a point in six games and Andrew Brunette has gone five games without a goal.

Still, the Avalanche enter this game with some momentum following Saturday's win, which helped them avoid their first five-game losing streak in nearly 10 years. Marek Svatos, who leads the team with 16 goals, scored the winner and has six goals in his last seven games.

"Every game, I play a lot and I am getting lots of opportunities," Svatos said. "So, my confidence is going up."

Colorado's 47 points halfway through the season are its most since it had 53 in 2003-04.

The Avalanche ended a four-game losing streak in Detroit in their last game there, a 4-3 overtime victory March 4. Colorado, however, is 3-9-2 in it last 14 games overall against the Red Wings.

Quenneville said Theodore "is coming off a really strong game (against the Islanders), and I thought he played really well against Los Angeles the other day, too. He's got some momentum here, and let's give him an opportunity.

Why god WHY!! we are going to get killed.

Detroit has won three straight and seven of eight, including Sunday's 3-1 win in Chicago. Henrik Zetterberg, Dan Cleary and Mikael Samuelsson scored in the first period for the Red Wings, who have recorded at least three goals in all but two of their 32 wins.

"I thought we played a good game," coach Mike Babcock said. "We drove the net real hard in the first period and had some chances."

Zetterberg, who played his third game after missing five due to a back injury, has a point in each of his last eight games (five goals, eight assists).

"We played well in our own zone and picked off a lot of their passes in the slot. That might have been the key to the game," said Detroit's Chris Osgood, who made 19 saves and leads the league with a 1.68 goals-against average.

Along with the best overall record, Detroit owns the best home mark in the NHL at 17-3-1.